ANKARA

Germany’s embassy in South Africa said Sunday that Russia is slaughtering innocent civilians in Ukraine for its own gain.

In response to a post on social media by the Russian embassy in South Africa, the German embassy said on Twitter that it could not remain silent over the claim by the Russian side, as it was “far too cynical.”

“What Russia is doing in Ukraine is slaughtering innocent children, women and men for its own gain.

“It's definitely not ‘fighting Nazism.’ Shame on anyone who's falling for this. (Sadly, we're kinda experts on Nazism),” it added.

The Russian embassy in South Africa earlier shared a post on Twitter, saying: “Dear subscribers, we have received a great number of letters of solidarity from South Africans, both individuals and organizations. We appreciate your support and glad you decided to stand with us today, when Russia, like 80 years ago, is fighting Nazism in Ukraine!”

At least 364 civilians have been killed, including 22 children and 41 women, and 759 others injured in Ukraine since Russia launched a war in the Eastern European country on Feb. 24, according to UN figures, with the real toll feared to be higher.

More than 1.5 million people have fled Ukraine to neighboring countries, according to the UN Refugee Agency.

The Russian attacks have been met with an outcry from the international community, with the European Union, UK and US among others imposing a range of economic sanctions on Moscow.